CES opens to more sex tech, Samsung's Neon chat bots and Ivanka Trump
And Google wants to dominate your smart home. Here's all the cool stuff from CES so far.
Hey, Google. I hear those things are awfully loud.
Though it feels as if CES has been going on for a week, the show floor only officially opened on Tuesday. If you can't be in Las Vegas to see it all for yourself, here are the top stories and the things that excited CNET's editors the most.
Monday CES highlights: Foldable phones, veggie pork and LG's $60K rollable TV
Google keeps growing
Google Assistant users, don't be surprised if your helpful servant one day owns your home. I'm not talking about holding the deed (because then you could stick it with the property taxes), but it may soon control all of your smart home gadgets. Google announced more powers for its Assistant such as scheduling actions (like our morning coffee brew), shared contacts that anyone can access and more support for third-party devices.
The company also said Assistant now has 500 million monthly users and now can read online articles out loud. And if you love your Assistant but sometimes spill your darkest secret by accident, it now has an additional privacy feature. Say, "Hey Google, that wasn't for you" and whatever it recorded just before that will be deleted.
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Shine on, Samsung Neon
Every year at CES one company, or product, gets all of the hype. Sometimes these buzz-worthy products are kind of practical and other times they're a bit more out there. CES 2020 falls into the latter category with Samsung's Neon AI chatbots. Now, as CNET's Shara Tibken points out, the chatbots aren't meant to be a new version of Samsung's Bixby voice assistant or an early ancestor of Star Trek's Data. Instead, they're designed to have conversations and behave like real humans. They just don't have a physical form, at least not now. Maybe it's that last part that's most important here.
Samsung sees red
On the less conceptual side Samsung's newest Galaxy Chromebook is red, shiny, super thin (0.4 inch or 9.9mm) and it weighs just 2.2 pounds (1 kg). The two-in-one also has a Samsung first in the form of a 4K UHD-resolution AMOLED display. Get it in the first quarter of the year for $1,000.
Can a Chromebook be pretty? I think so.
A Trump talks tech
Ivanka Trump, an adviser to her father President Donald Trump, spoke at a keynote event with CTA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. (CTA is the trade group that organizes CES.) She said the US government is trying to work with private sector leaders to "ensure American students and workers are equipped to thrive in the modern, digital economy." Trump's appearance in Las Vegas was controversial, with some criticizing the CTA for consistently overlooking women executives working in the technology industry when planning speaking opportunities at the show.
Delta enters a parallel reality
Earlier in the day, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian gave the opening keynote presentation Tuesday, where he outlined several initiatives geared toward reducing travel stress and improving the overall experience. One of the most intriguing announcements is a new "Parallel Reality" airport display screen that'll show tailored information for passengers but will be visible only to them. And don't worry about overpacking, the person loading the bags on your flight may one day use an exoskeleton to help them lift heavy loads.
The Guardian XO will help ramp agents lift heavy loads.
Beep, beep, it's a hybrid Jeep
Jeep says it will put an electrified powertrain in every one of its vehicles by 2022. CES is the first time Jeep showed off its new plug-in hybrid models, the Compass, Renegade and Wrangler, ahead of their respective rollouts this year.
Plug it in, plug it in
Fiat Chrysler, which owns Jeep, also went way more futuristic with a concept for a vehicle interior called Airflow Vision. The design is all smooth minimalist with several sleek displays to show all of the information you need.
Not everything needs a reason
OnePlus showed the Concept One, a phone with a camera lens that "disappears." When you're using the camera, the glass over the lens is transparent, making the lens visible. But when you close the camera, the glass turns the lens opaque and black. Why, you ask? Why not?
If nothing else, a tinting camera lens is new.
There's really an app for everything
If you haven't heard, sex tech at CES is no longer banished to the back rooms. One Band-Aid-like device we saw today doesn't yet have a name, but even when it does it's more likely to be remembered for what it does: delaying male ejaculation during sex. And, yes, it has an app.
Though many of the sex tech products at CES are focused on pleasure, this device, in a sense, helps men withhold it.
A sedan chair for the 21st century
Segway's S-Pod is bringing us one step closer to our Wall-E future. CNET's Katie Collins said the self-balancing egg-shaped ride made her feel like a modern-day duchess.
The S-Pod even has a tiny horn.
Your garage needs love, too
Your home shouldn't be the only thing that's smart. CES showed us a few ways to add brains to your garage, as well.
